The role of the garden and carbon footprint
As one walks around our estates my mind mulling over what would make a garden greener and touched by what I see I react and think. Conifers standing close to a hallway door make me think of how much electricity is used in lighting the house especially during winter months. Definitely one would advise not to plant evergreen species close to a house.
This brings up the concept that any garden is in an integrated relationship with the house, because it is the house is the site that will be expending the energy and the garden is in a subsidiary role to the house when it comes to energy expenditure. I will return to the gardens role in saving the energy of the house later but first one should look at the energy that the garden uses in itself.